Shuttle car, including improved steering mechanism



A. L. LEE 2,681,234

ROVED STEERING MECHANISM June 15, 1954 SHUTTLE CAR, INCLUDING IMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 30, 1947 [N vE/v'roE; Err-iure L LEE A BY HTT'Y.

A. L. LEE 2,681,2134

OVED STEERING MECHANISM June 15, 1954 SHUTTLE CAR, INCLUDING IMPR Original Filed Aug. 50, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f/vver/vro e; ARTHUR L.LEE:,

I HTTY.

Patented June 15, 1954 SHUTTLE CAR, IN STEERING poration of Ohio CLUDIN G IMPROVED MECHANISM Arthur L. Lee, Upper Arlington, Ohio, assignor to The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a cor- -riginal application August 30, 1947, Serial No. 771,542. Divided and this application January 3, 1951, Serial No. 204,214

2 Claims.

, This invention relates to a shuttle car which is a vehicle designed particularly for carrying An object of the invention therefore is to provide an improved shuttle car.

from the steering wheel sprocket.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved steering mechanism in a shuttle car, or the like, wherein there is housing strucbeing set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shuttle car incorporating the features of my invention with parts of the shuttle car omitted and parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the steering column and associated operating wheel means, as well as other parts of the steering mechanism between the duplex operators wheel and the booster-type steering gear, with parts being shown in section; i

Fig. 4 is a combination elevational and sectional view of the mechanism of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows the lower portion of the upright structure of Figure 4 viewed from another angle; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing a detail of the steering arm of Fig. 3. i

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 771,542, filed August 30, 1947, now Patent No. 2,618,491, dated November car and all of its appendages follow that of my parent application above identified, and that only 2 the subject matter pertinent to the present invention is shown in the drawings and discussed herein in detail.

to overhang a mine car or entry conveyer into which coal from the body I2 is discharged. The

drawings for the sake of clarity.

As clearly seen by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the body l2 includes a pair of laterally the body and extend upright throughout the length of the discharge chute I3, thereby providing an operators station it adjacent one side of the vehicle and within the extreme lateral conings.

a similar position on the opposite side of the chute it an electric cable reel I9 is located, by which electric current may be derived for the several electric motors provided on the shuttle car.

The shuttle car is provided with four wheels, preferably provided with pneumatic tires, there being a pair of wheels 20 adjacent the rear or discharge end, and a pair of wheels 21 adjacent the front end. Each pair of wheels 26 and 2| is preferably driven through a differential by a separate electric motor, the motor for the pair of wheels 28 being seen at 22 in Fig. 1 of the draw- The drive mechanism is disclosed in my parent application, Serial No. 7 71,542, now Patent No. 2,618,491 above identified, and it is claimed in my Patent No. 2,457,569, dated December 28 1949, for 2, Shuttle Car.

Both pairs of Wheels 2|! and 2| are preferably steerable by interconnecting linkage mechanism which, because it forms no part of the present invention, is not shown. This mechanism is described and claimed in my parent application, Serial No. 771,542, new Patent No. 2,618,491.

Actuation of the above-mentioned interconnesting steering mechanism to effect steering of the vehicle is controlled by a standard mechanically operated, power booster steering gear 23 of any well-known standard an illustration of which is the commercial Bendix-Ross steering gear. This steering gear 23 is rigidly attached to the main frame it by mechanism not disclosed in, detail and is controlled by a driving control shaft 2 thereof through an endless chain which is part of a steering wheel assembly 26, disclosed in detail in Figs. 3 through 6 of the drawings.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the steering wheel assembly 26 is located at the operators station it, and it is mounted on one of the side walls ii, forming one side of the discharge chute 13. This steering wheel assembly is dual in character since the operator must be able to reverse his position in order to operate the shuttle car with equal facility whether traveling forwardly or reversely. To this end, there are dual controls at the operators station it, including separate seats 27 and 25,10- cated on opposite sides of the steering wheel assembly '26.

, Referringpar 'cularly to Figs. 3 through 6 of the drawin s, it is to be seen that the endless chain 25 extends from a sprocket 29 on shaft 26 through a laterally extending casing 36 into the bottom of an upstanding post, casin or housing 3i, which is directly connected to the aforementioned plate ll of chute ill. chain 25 in extending to the sprocket 29 which drives shaft 24 are in a generally horizontal plane, and they pass over guide pulleys or rollers 32 and 33 mounted in an adjustable cage 34 1ocated in the bottom of the post 3! and constituting part of a slack-adjusting mechanism for said chain 25. To adjust the slack of the chain 25,

the cage 34 is movable by a bell crank 35 con-,

nected to the cage 3 by a link 36. An adjusting bolt 31, the head of which is exposed to the outside of post 3%, may be adjusted thereby to adjust the position of cage 3t, and the tension of chain 25. Both runs of the chain 25 extend substantially upward through the post 3! and pass over pulleys or rollers 38 and 32 mounted ad- 3' to the top thereof, from which they extend through a hollow arm or bracket 40 which is pivotally attached adjacent the top of post 31 for swinging movement on a horizontal axis.

At its outer end, the arm or post til carries a double wheel 2% which is mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, each wheel il preferably provided with an operating handle '42. The double wheel M is keyed to rotate a shaft 43 journaled in the outer end of arm 6 and carrying a drive sprocket at which receives the chain 25 and drives it. It is obvious that rotary movement of the wheel will be transferred to the shaft es of the steerin mechanism thus providing for steering of the four wheels 20 and 2! of the shuttle car. 7

It is desirable to be able to adjust the effective height of the dual wheel ii and to this end the inner end of arm 49 is mounted for pivotal adjustment with respect to the post 33, and it'may be locked in any one of three adjustable positions. The locking mechanism takes the form of Both runs of a threaded bolt 45 which extends through an elongated slot 46 in the arm 40. The bolt 45 is provided with'a hand wheel 47 having a tapered cylindrical base 68 adapted to be received selectively by any of three overlapping tapered cylindrical or frusto-conical holes dd associated with the slot 46. This, in effect, provides a scalloped slot, and it is evident that the tapered base'48 may be selectively wedged into any of the three tapered receptacle portions $9 to lock the arm 42 in position, since the hand nut 47 is held in a fixed plate 58 attached to and forming a part of the post 30.

The adjustable supporting mechanism, above,

described, for the steering wheel is claimed in my copendingapplication, Serial No. 204,213, filed January 3, 1951, for a Shuttle Car Including an Improved Steering Mechanism.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and applicant therefore wishes not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent or" the United States is:

1. A shuttle car, steering mechanism therefor including a driven sprocket, an upstanding housing spaced laterally of said sprocket, a hollow arm extending laterally from the top of said housing, means adjustaloly pivotally mounting said arm on a horizontal axis, steering wheel means rotatably mounted on the outer end of said arm, a drive sprocket connected to said steering wheel means,a continuous drive chain extending from said drive sprocket to said driven sprocket and extending through said hollow arm and said upstanding housing, guiding idler rollers for said chain in said housing located where the chain changes its direction of travel, and means for adjusting the position of said idler rollers including a shiftable cage in said housing.

2. A shuttle car, steering mechanism therefor including a driven sprocket, an upstanding housing spaced laterally of said sprocket, a hollow arm extending laterally from the top of said housing, steering wheel means rotatably mounted on the outer end of said arm, a drive sprocket connected to said steering wheel means, a continuous drive chain extending from said drive sprocket to said driven sprocket and extending through said hollow arm and said upstandinghousing, guiding idler rollers for said chain in said housing located where the chain changes its direction of travel, and means for adjusting the position of said idler rollers includin a shiitable cage in said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

